If Trump’s analysis were correct, both Durant and Britt would have tried to embrace Trump’s election fraud conspiracy claims. Political consultants are experts at uncovering what voters really care about and then associating their clients with those beliefs. It would have been rank malpractice to ignore the voters’ main concern, especially since both Durant and Britt were largely unknown to voters when they launched their campaigns. The fact that neither candidate sought to tie themselves to the mast of the “rigged election” canard speaks volumes about what Alabama Republicans really prioritize…
National polling also points to Trump’s fading influence. Echelon Insights’ March poll found that only 40 percent of Republican voters say they are primarily a supporter of Trump rather than the party. More worrying for Trump, only 55 percent said they would definitely or probably vote for him in a 2024 GOP primary, his lowest mark since just after the Jan. 6 riot. Opposition to a 2024 Trump candidacy is now at 37 percent, the highest level ever.
Statements from Brooks in response to Trump’s about-face could drive down his old friend further. Brooks contends that Trump asked him after Sept. 1 last year to overturn the 2020 election results and reinstall him as president. This, as Brooks noted, would be both illegal and unconstitutional. It’s one thing to believe, as many Republicans wrongly do, that the 2020 election was stolen; it’s quite another thing to believe that Congress can simply declare an election null by majority vote, unseat a duly inaugurated leader and reseat Trump. Only Trump’s most fanatical supporters would possess such a manifestly undemocratic and unhinged view.
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